About Us

Meet your local connection in Parnu, Aivar Ruukel of Karuskose Ltd! We are enthusiastic in assisting you as you travel to our beautiful destination of Parnu and Estonia's wilderness capital, Soomaa National Park!

As proud members of whl.travel, we are advocates of sustainable tourism and have headed an Estonian ecotourism association since 1996, working on national ecotourism and training programmes. Our philosophy is to promote positive tourism in our area, in order to support the local community economically and preserve the natural and local culture.

We want travellers to have the opportunity to become acquainted with the native culture of Estonia, to experience their unique traditions and also see the remote areas of the pristine wilderness of Estonia.

"Travelling to your neighbours, meeting these people, talking to them makes you understand them better and minimizes your fear that they can be dangerous"

There are so many unique and once in a lifetime experiences to be offered here. Soomaa litereally means "Land of Bogs" and some of our favourite activities are taking a "bog-shoeing" trip throughout the park, swimming in the bog-pools, and taking a river trip in the traditional dugout canoes. We wish to share these amazing and matchless experiences with travellers from all over the world.

Meet the Team

Aivar Ruukel is the owner of Karuskose Ltd. and also the founder of the Estonian Ecotourism Association. He has received many awards for his efforts to promote ecological tourism in Estonia and received the "Best in 2007" title from the Estonian Hotel and Restaurant Association. Today he enjoys sharing his knowledge of his native area and his hobbies include building and paddling down the river in traditional dugout canoes, picking wild mushrooms, ice fishing, and cross-country skiing.

Aivar was born and raised in Estonia and was there from the beginning when Soomaa became a National Park. In 1995, he started to work as a local tourism operator when the National Park was created in the capercaille forests and cranberry bogs of his backyard. He began by organizing canoe trips on rivers and walks on the peat bog and then later he began adding additional services, including floating saunas on the river, snowshoeing, kicksledding, and ice fishing in the winter.  Now he operates as a local operator combining his activities and tours with accommodation facilities in the Soomaa area and Parnu town.

What We Do

Today, Karuskose Ltd. offers all types of unique tours and activities in the area. We organize aspen log-boat building workshops and paddling trips on the rivers. One of the most unique activities that we offer is the traditional sauna and hot tub experience, while floating down the river! We are active in supporting sustainable tourism in our area and are now applying for the PAN Parks Certificate for Soomaa National Park, created to help conserve European wilderness areas.

"How can you respect and love something that you do not know?"

We feel it is important to educate travellers and guides that we work with about the local nature and ecology of the area in order to maximize their experience here. We are active in our workshops and seminars and even sometimes lecture students to spread the importance of ecotourism. We also are active in supporting the local culture and cooperate with local farms, accommodations, and guides.

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions or for advice as you are planning your trip! We are your experts of the area and are willing to assist you as you plan your perfect holiday to Parnu and Soomaa National Park!